Do you tend to buy a physical game or download it?

Those who say "Physical > Everything" because it is cheaper really are missing the ENTIRE point of digital downloads, especially STEAM.

You think Bandwith is free?

For those of us who "GET" Digital distribution, the additional cost is worth it for the benefits it brings.
 
I'll always buy the physical retail products if I have the choice.

I like having the retail packaging, instruction book not to mention any bits that may come with special editions etc. Also I like the idea of being able to install something when I want to and not having to wait for a download or rely on a third party.
 
I used to always but the physical retail product, but now its everything on Steam. Spending a few quid more to get the game within a few mins (fast internet) is better than having to travel somewhere or order it online and wait a few days for delivery.
 
steam is awesome, I wish all my games were on it

I'm happy to pay £5 more for a game that's on steam, instead of having the physical copy

I never use my DVD drive anymore, ever
 
Gimpymoo said:
Those who say "Physical > Everything" because it is cheaper really are missing the ENTIRE point of digital downloads, especially STEAM.

You think Bandwith is free?

For those of us who "GET" Digital distribution, the additional cost is worth it for the benefits it brings.
Click to expand...

No, bandwidth isn't free (for them or for us, incidentally), but then neither are discs, booklets, cases, the boxes they're packaged in, the transport costs involved or the businesses working at various points within the chain (manufacturer, supplier, retailer). And yet somehow, retail is still cheaper.

Digital distribution should not carry a price premium and it certainly shouldn't be justified as bringing "benefits", otherwise it essentially sets a precedent that means when popular games start becoming DD only, we're going to be forced to pay more. There's really nothing to "get".
 
Steam if cheaper and/or multiplayer, discs online if cheaper and not multiplayer.

I like multiplayer games on steam because of the server browser and auto patching.
 
I haven't bought a physical copy of a game in a few years. I just find the install process, CD checks, etc, to be tiresome. There's no messing about with Steam once you have a game downloaded - I'd hate to have to reinstall all of my games on a new computer or hard drive from disk, while I can just move the Steam folder over and everything will work.
 
I tend to buy games after careful thought, so it's always a few days coming, getting it at 2am on release date makes no odds to me. I end up leaving the house on most days as well, so unless I become agarophobic Steam isn't any more convenient. Game boxes are the same size as DVD boxes as well. I would guess most people saying about haveing no boxes cluttering probably own a fair few DVD and have no storage issue with them.

bledd. said:
steam is awesome, I wish all my games were on it

I'm happy to pay £5 more for a game that's on steam, instead of having the physical copy

I never use my DVD drive anymore, ever
Click to expand...

£5 would be ok. However, every game I have wanted, the difference has been nearly double that.

DOWII £34.99 (special at the moment I know), could be had in shops a good six weeks ago at £14.99 or less.

The last remnant, £29.99. Bought on release day when it was available in a multitude of shops for £19.99, can be had for £9.99 online.

Empire TW special edition £44.99. Available on release day in local shops at £28.00

Anno 1404 I picked up for a tenner less also, and Fallout 3 is hovering around double the shop price.

I might pick up Oblivion as it's within range and probably would save a lot of hassle, likewise the Monkey Island series once I have time to play them.
 
I haven't bought a game on CD/DVD for over a year, I can always find a fairly close price online at the various digital download sites - legitimately or I tend to wait a few months and buy when it's on offer. There's very few "must have" games for me, the only exception being Steam, which I do grudge paying more for, but I will as it makes installing, patching and backing games up infinately easier. Plus I don't actually want more CD/DVDs in my house, takes up room in daft wallets and the box/manual go straight into the recycling or bin which is a complete waste of resources.
 
DominicStar said:
I would guess most people saying about haveing no boxes cluttering probably own a fair few DVD and have no storage issue with them.
Click to expand...

You'd be presuming a lot. I ditch every DVD box the instant it's in the house, gave away over 100 of them last year on freecycle as I just couldn't spare the extra space to store plastic. They're all in wallets now, but personally I'd rather every one of them was on a hard disk and would do so if I could legally store them like that.

CDs/DVDs are an old technology, time to move on and digital storage is the way to go for now.
 
Kami said:
CDs/DVDs are an old technology, time to move on and digital storage is the way to go for now.
Click to expand...

Exactly.

What are these ludites going to do when optical media is not an option, I believe we will go download only within the next 30 years, although hopefully sooner if Broadband speeds get sorted for those on ADSL.
 
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